Update on CAAFI State-Level Projects

Several developments in Alabama and Florida will enhance opportunities for the Southeast Partnership for Advance Renewables from Carinata (SPARC), a USDA Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP).

The Alabama Department of Economic Development and Community Affairs (ADECA) has issued an RFP for the best option for developing a sustainable biofuels distribution system in Alabama. Auburn University is leading a response to the RFP that will leverage expected outcomes from the SPARC / Volpe collaboration utilizing the Freight and Fuel Transportation Optimization Tool (FTOT) to enhance state efforts to commercialize the feedstock carinata.

Efforts to develop a supply chain in Florida received a boost due to the renewed focus on water quality issues by the newly elected Commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and Governor DeSantis. CAAFI is presently working with the University of South Florida and University of Florida along with other entities with fuel and water interests to establish the use of sustainable fuel crops as both energy crops and to monetize water quality gains in order to enhance the value of sustainable feedstock commercialization efforts in Florida.

Meanwhile, ongoing SPARC scenario development for FTOT analyses progressed from beta testing to pragmatic case studies of value to feedstock producers, Agrisoma, and processors, ARA. Input data for Agrisoma priorities have been defined. Efforts early in 2019 will focus on formatting datasets to reflect those priorities that will then be used as inputs for FTOT analysis.

Clemson University submitted a full NIFA CAP proposal for the Southcentral Atlantic State Supply Chain Alliance (SASSCA). Clemson is the team lead and other members include North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. Award announcements are expected in the first half of 2019.

The SASSCA proposal concentrates on the supporting forest interests in the region to find new jet fuel co-product applications to open markets for wood residuals in the near-term and possible cellulosic ethanol supplies in the longer-term to support the nascent ATJ market in the region.

SASSCA includes several CAAFI members on the advisory board, including United Airlines, Federal Express, FAA, DOE, Velocys, and Honeywell UOP.

Vermont F2F2 team members are reaching out to aviation, dairy and research contacts in Canada to identify whether there is interest in collaborating on the Canadian Sky’s the Limit Green Aviation Fuel Innovation Competition.

During the CBGM, CAAFI principles, Canadian consultant firm Waterfall, and Air Canada met with colleagues from Transport Canada to communicate the intent of the Vermont F2F2 team to explore opportunities to collaborate with Canadian private sector companies for the challenge competition and beyond.

2018 featured ASTM qualification of LanzaTech’s ethanol-to-jet ATJ fuel pathway and the company’s announced commitment to build a commercial scale fuel processing facility at its Freedom Pines Biorefinery in Soperton, GA with a target of 10 million gallons per year of AJF. Meetings were held at the CBGM to refocus efforts led by Georgia Tech to meet LanzaTech’s sustainable ethanol supply demands at the Freedom Pines facility via a hub-and-spoke system to include ethanol derived from sustainable sources such as beets, sorghum and wood.

Continued discussions with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) regarding how best to reopen consideration of converting the current Materials innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) facility in South Hartford, CT to a biofuels processing plant.

At the CBGM, discussions were held with Velocys and Federal Express to explore their interest in meeting with CCAT, visiting MIRA and holding discussions with city and state entities to assess the opportunity. Velocys is an FT company and Federal Express has a delivery hub at Hartford’s BDL airport. The effort is looking to also bring in Praxair and schedule the visit early in 2019. READ MORE